Portfolio 2 Columns

A melodramatic folksy Christmas story, a little like Dickens – with a Tiny Tim, but also with some romance. Tarkington’s writings are very much set in his early 1900s American culture. We are meant to sympathize with the crippled child but not even notice the slights to the black servants. Still, Tarkington promotes kindness and uses a milder style of humor than many authors of his day.

Dr. Richard Alpert, a former Harvard professor and Timothy Leary cohort, was an icon of the hippie, LSD-fueled revolution of the 1960s. Thereafter, on a trip to India – like Clark Kent changing into Superman – he became the much-beloved spiritual teacher Baba Ram Das. His 1970s’ iconic book Be Here Now turned on a generation to the deep, non-sectarian spirituality within us all. Author Jagannatha Dasa became friends with Ram Das in the early ’70s and traveled across America, playing Indian drums at his speaking engagements. During that time, the two discussed the publication of some of his lectures, but nothing was ever done, and the two lost touch. Now, finally, after all these years, Jagannatha Dasa keeps his promise to his old friend, publishing this original audio history of one of our most inspired and cherished spiritual teachers.

Barry Lyndon is a picaresque novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, first published as a serial in Fraser’s Magazine in 1844, about a member of the Irish gentry trying to become a member of the English aristocracy. Thackeray, who based the novel on the life and exploits of the Anglo-Irish rake and fortune-hunter Andrew Robinson Stoney, later reissued it under the title The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. The novel is narrated by Lyndon himself, who functions as a quintessentially unreliable narrator. The novel was adapted by Stanley Kubrick into his 1975 film Barry Lyndon.

Barnaby Rudge is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels (the other was The Old Curiosity Shop) Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey’s Clock. This book is largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780. Barnaby Rudge was the fifth of Dickens’ novels to be published. It had initially been planned to appear as his first, but changes of publisher led to many delays, and it first appeared in serial form in the Clock from February to November 1841. This was Dickens’ first historical novel. His only other is A Tale of Two Cities (1859), also set in revolutionary times

Once again the Old Gray Goose shines with a collection of wonderful stories for children young and old. In a beautiful world of unlimited possibilities, love and beauty, the Old Gray Goose inspires us all with his powerful, positive, peaceful tales. The Old Gray Goose the world’s most beloved storyteller it’s currently over 153 years old! He hails from Weymouth, Massachusetts, and is the youngest son of Mother Goose. For many years he worked at the YMCA in Lockport, New York, and was the program director at Camp Kenan in nearby Barker. Goose has the magical ability to turn virtually every minute of the day into an exciting fun adventure. His original stories, funny songs, tall tales, and white lies have entertained, mesmerized and enthralled people young and old for decades. Whether he’s around the campfire performing in his old pit helmet and tennis racket guitar, biking with campers around Lake Ontario, running with the Olympic torch to the delight of his legions of fans, or just sitting around the camp playing a friendly game of tetherball or talking with the campers the Old Gray Goose is that one in a million; a great storyteller, a great advocate of young people, and most importantly – a great man! Here is the very best of the wonderful Old Gray Goose.

Jeffrey Joseph Juliana, nee Geoffrey Giuliano, nee Jaganntha Dasa, is a man of many faces and adventures. A plumber’s son from Western, New York now in his mid-sixties, this transient soul has experienced a wide swath of poverty, riches, fame, anonymity , hedonism and piety. At the same time 50% monk and 50% monkey, Giuliano is best known as the author of a shelfful of books on the Beatles and other rock icons, a well known film actor, world traveler, vegetarian activist, and very public devotee of Sri Krishna. Here is his rags to riches then back to rags story as told by himself, in an honest, enlightening, often shocking, sometimes humorous look back on the first nineteen years of his often unlikely life and times. This first installment of his autobiography focuses on the years 1953 to 1971 and his trek from small town kid, to all American 1960’s hippie, to enthusiastic young seeker of Lord Krishna in the early years of the Hare Krishna Movement. While this is uniquely Geoffrey’s story it is also a similar tale to many who lived through the same era. If the child is the father of the man then this collection of cutting memories explains a great deal about the bold, creative character Giuliano later became. There are many words here – many of them bad. Introduction / Dr. Timothy Leary.

Who was John Lennon? We all know the music and the basic story, but this wildly passive aggressive kid from suburban Liverpool with a huge chip on his shoulder was an unlikely model for the international pop icon to come. He first started bashing out banjo chords on an old guitar, without even the requisite number of strings as a teen. Young John was close to his mother and auntie, loved cats, attended church services, did his schoolwork, excelled at poetry and drawing, but he had something else too – a wild uninhibited love of American rock ‘n’ roll. In this one-of-a-kind audio treasure by the world’s acknowledged foremost prolific Beatles biographer Geoffrey Giuliano, the real John Lennon is laid bare and a deeper understanding of his magnetic personality and timeless music emerges. Here is the perfect audio treasure for every committed Lennon fan, pop historian, casual listener, student of 1960s art and culture, curious commuter, as well as all school and university systems. Ladies

The life of baseball legend Babe Ruth is chronicled in this hard-hitting audio biography narrated by the author. In rare archival interviews Ruth discusses his early life, the trappings of stardom and his eternal, abiding love of America’s favorite game. Babe Ruth was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed “The Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat”, he began his MLB career as a star left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1936, Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its “first five” inaugural members.